1 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
The National Spatial Plan (NSP) - Purpose and Scope The National Spatial Plan (NSP) serves as Kenya’s overarching spatial vision, guiding long-term development across the entire country. It defines the general direction for spatial organization and provides national physical planning policies to inform regional, county, and local development plans.
As a flagship project under Kenya Vision 2030, the NSP aims to achieve organized, integrated, sustainable, and balanced national development. It provides a framework to coordinate land use, economic activities, and infrastructure across sectors and regions, supporting the attainment of national social, economic, and environmental goals. Crucially, the NSP integrates and provides a spatial dimension for implementing the Constitution, Kenya Vision 2030, and its strategic flagship projects, facilitating coordination between sectoral agencies.
1.1.1 Pre-Independence Planning
Kenya’s spatial planning history originates in the colonial era, characterized by ordinances aimed at controlling land use, primarily for settler benefit. Key legislation like the Town Land Ordinance (1902) and Crown Land Ordinance (1915) declared all land as Crown Land under the Governor’s authority, disregarding indigenous rights and extending leases for settlers.
Planning focused on urban areas, restricting Africans to overcrowded rural reserves. The Swynnerton Plan (1954), a significant colonial policy, restructured African land ownership towards cash crops and individual titles, boosting agriculture in high-potential areas but critically neglecting Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), creating regional imbalances and a landless class. The Development and Use of Land Regulations (1961) provided further control over land subdivision and use, establishing a Central Authority.
1.1.2 Post-Independence Planning
After independence, Kenya established its planning philosophy through Sessional Paper No. 10 (1965), emphasizing planning’s role in development but favoring high-potential areas, expecting trickle-down benefits that failed to materialize. Five-Year National Development Plans (NDPs) became the primary tool, initially defining four key planning aspects: physical, social, financial, and economic.
Early efforts included the preparation of Regional Physical Development Plans (RPDPs) to guide coordinated provincial development and the Nairobi Metropolitan Growth Strategy. The Human Settlements Strategy (1978, “Purple Book”) was the first comprehensive attempt at a national spatial framework to manage urban growth and integrate physical and socio-economic planning, though implementation was weak. Subsequent NDPs addressed themes like poverty alleviation and resource mobilization.
The District Focus for Rural Development (DFRD) delegated planning to districts to achieve regional balance, leading to district plans. Initiatives like Rural Trade and Production Centres (RTPCs) and Regional Development Authorities aimed to stimulate rural growth and develop ASALs. While the NDP tradition continues, the NSP seeks to build on past efforts, particularly addressing the unresolved challenges targeted by earlier spatial strategies like the Human Settlements Strategy.
Table 1.1 shows the spatial development strategies deployed by the country over the NDP planning periods.
Table 1.1: Spatial Development Strategies Applied in Kenya (1964–2015)
| Period | Spatial Development Strategies | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 1966–1970 | Special Rural Development Programme (SRDP) | Coordinated development aimed primarily at increasing job opportunities and raising the levels of income. |
| 7 Regional (Provincial) Physical Development Plans | Provided for preparation of physical development plans. | |
| 1970–1974 | Service and Growth Centres | Service centres to offer administrative, social and trading services to rural areas; growth centres were strategically located to form future administrative, commercial, and industrial hubs. |
| 1974–1978 | Growth and Service Centre Strategy with Urbanization Focus | To service rural areas and address rapid urbanization. |
| 1979–1983 | Alleviation of Poverty | Emphasis on provision of basic needs and infrastructure to improve quality of life. |
| 1984–1988 | Rural Trade and Production Centres (RTPCs) | To stimulate growth of small market centres and promote agricultural development in their hinterlands. |
| District Focus for Rural Development (DFRD) | Delegated rural development responsibility to districts; aimed at regional balance and infrastructure services. | |
| Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Development Programme (ASAL) | Focused on integrated area development in arid and semi-arid regions. | |
| 1989–1993 | Green Towns Project (MoLG and the Dutch Government) | Environmental planning approach involving multiple stakeholders in secondary towns. |
| Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) | Established six regional resource-based authorities covering the entire country. | |
| 1994–1997 | Secondary Towns Programme (World Bank) | Promoted secondary cities to reduce pressure on major urban centres and integrate rural-urban economies. |
| 2001–2005 | Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (2003–2007) (ESRC) | Blueprint to reverse economic stagnation and included development of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). |
| 2006–2011 | Kenya Vision 2030 | Aimed to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country by 2030. |
| Kenya Municipal Programme (KMP) – MoLG & WB | Strengthened local governance; improved infrastructure and service delivery in urban counties. | |
| 2012–2016 | National Spatial Plan (NSP) | A 30-year plan (2015–2045) to address land use, socio-economic, and environmental challenges. |
| County Spatial Plans | Required under County Governments Act (2012) to guide spatial development at county level. |
1.2 Scope
The NSP covers the entire territory of Kenya measuring approximately 582,646 km2 including 142,400 km2 of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Plan is a long term spatial planning framework spanning a period of thirty (30) years 2015-2045 and shall be subject to ten (10) year reviews. It is a territorial strategy to guide physical development activities, provide a spatial illustration of all national projects and identify strategies for land development. The Plan aims to address issues of human settlement, urban and rural development, economic development, the natural environment, regional balance, transport and infrastructure.
Map 1.1 shows the territorial extent of the country which comprises of forty seven (47) counties and the EEZ covered by the Plan.